Donald Trump has become the first U.S. President to be criminally charged
Former U.S. President Donald Trump has been indicted by a Manhattan grand jury after a probe into hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels.
The adult film star maintains she had an affair with the former president, and was paid to keep it quiet. She said the sexual encounter occurred in 2006, a year after Trump married his current wife Melania, and over a decade before he ran for President of the United States.
While the payment was legal, it was allegedly recorded as a business expense, which is illegal in New York.
Daniels said the two had consensual sex.
Michael Cohen was Trump’s lawyer at the time, who made the $130,000 payment to Daniels in 2016, several days before the U.S. presidential election. He said he would “take a bullet” for Trump.
Two years later, he pleaded guilty to nine federal crimes including tax fraud, lying to Congress and campaign finance violations.
Cohen told CNN he was surprised about the timing of the indictment but “this is a long time coming.”
It means the former president will likely be arrested in the coming days. He will then enter a Manhattan courthouse, where he will be fingerprinted and have his mug shot taken.
“This evening we contacted Mr Trump’s attorney to coordinate his surrender to the Manhattan DA’s office for arraignment on a Supreme Court indictment, which remains under seal. Guidance will be provided when the arraignment date is selected.”
Alvin Bragg, MANHATTAN DISTRICT ATTORNEY
Alvin Bragg is the Manhattan District Attorney, who helped to sue the Trump Administration more than 100 times during its four-year term.
Trump has previously described the indictment as an attempt to “weaponise” the U.S. justice system.
In a statement, Trump’s lawyer said “he did not commit any crime”.
“We will vigorously fight this political prosecution in court,” the statement read.
What happens now?
The U.S. is fast approaching a presidential election, and Trump has signalled he will run for office again.
Many Republicans have swiftly defended Trump since the indictment came to light. This includes Nikki Haley, who is a current 2024 presidential candidate herself.
“This is more about revenge than it is about justice,” she tweeted.
Calvin Dark is a global affairs commentator in Washington, who said the reaction will be mixed among senior republicans.
“When it comes to Nikki Haley or former vice-president Mike Pence, they’re going to be an interesting situation.
“They’re going to want to use this to their political advantage to provide an alternative to many who might not want to nominate an indicted former president,” he said.
However, a criminal conviction would not prevent Trump from moving forward with his presidential campaign.
U.S. law does not stop criminals from running and serving as president—even if it’s from a prison cell.
“I think Ron DeSantis is going to play it pretty quiet. You might see a snide comment here and there. If you’re opponent is digging a hole, tell them to keep digging,” Dark said.
What does it mean?
Many U.S. conservatives believe the former president is being held to a different standard of justice.
Meanwhile, Democrats have viewed this through the lens of holding people in power to account.
“We are in unchartered legal and political territory,” said Bruce Wolpe from the U.S. Studies Centre.
“Trump has been telling his base that he’s done nothing wrong, and that he’s been persecuted politically.”
BRUCE WOLPE, U.S. STUDIES CENTRE
“His base is all in. This will not change Republican voter sentiment towards Trump as a political candidate for the presidency,” Wolpe said.
Trump is facing a string of other probes, including his efforts to undo the results of the 2020 presidential election, and whether he illegally interfered in Georgia.
Costa is a news producer at ticker NEWS. He has previously worked as a regional journalist at the Southern Highlands Express newspaper. He also has several years' experience in the fire and emergency services sector, where he has worked with researchers, policymakers and local communities. He has also worked at the Seven Network during their Olympic Games coverage and in the ABC Melbourne newsroom.
He also holds a Bachelor of Arts (Professional), with expertise in journalism, politics and international relations. His other interests include colonial legacies in the Pacific, counter-terrorism, aviation and travel.
Rare earths elements are responsible for some of the most important materials involved in electric vehicle production, battery making, renewable energy systems and technology manufacturing.
Last year, President Joe Biden said he wanted to make rare earths an important domestic policy initiative and he signed an executive order to review gaps in the domestic supply chains for rare earths, medical devices, chips, and other key resources.
The Department of Energy announced a $30 million initiative to tap into researching and securing the U.S. domestic supply chain for rare earths and other important minerals in battery-making production.
But at the same time, President Biden also blocked the mining of rare earth minerals on more than 225,000 acres of federal land for more than 20 years.
Is it possible for the U.S. to change course and again have a seat at the table in producing rare earths elements?
To discuss further, Luisa Moreno the President of the Defense Metals Corp. joined us.
#rareearthelements #rareminerals #China #UnitedStates #Veronicadudo #luisamoreno
Rare earths elements are needed to make iPhones, advanced batteries, military night-vision goggles and MRI machines. According to the U.S. Genealogical Survey, China was responsible for 80% of rare earths imports in 2019.
Critical earth minerals are a necessity for humans around the world.
They are essential to our modern-day lifestyles and critical in the creation of things such as iPhones, electric vehicles, and advanced precision weapons.
While the United States is dependent on other countries for many minerals, there is no country that America is more dependent on than China. And all these minerals come at a price.
Rare earths elements are needed to make everything from the technology we use every day like smart refrigerators and advanced batteries to night-vision goggles used by the military to MRI machines which are crucial to the medical field.
Many in the government, business, and science sectors have long raised concerns about how to ensure the West’s continued supply of these critical earth minerals.
The United States was once a dominant player in the rare earths supply chain, but for decades, that global market has been dominated by China.
According to the U.S. Genealogical Survey, China was responsible for 80% of rare earths imports in 2019.
Last year, the Biden administration even touted a new plan for the United States to rival China and end their decades-long dominance of rare earth metals market.
So, how reliant is the West on Chinese rare earth exports?
Luisa Moreno the President of the Defense Metals Corp joined us to discuss. #rareearthelements #china #unitedstates #greenagenda #veronicadudo #luisamoreno #trade
